Vision

The Coggins Conservation Project formed on Earth Day 2014 by descendants of the Coggins family, who established Coggins Farm in 1789. As a community-centered organization, the CCP took on the cause of protecting farmland and open space in the Southeast/Appalachian region. The group’s initial focus was on Coggins Farm™, a 169 acre century farm, 7 miles from downtown Asheville, that was slate for a subdivision development. They worked diligently to propose an alternative plan to the 99-lot subdivision that developer, Case Enterprises, and real estate agency, TFM Carolina, Inc., proposed for the entire 169 acres. The plan focuses on local food production, land preservation and creating small-footprint, permaculture communities.

Despite our efforts, the developer officially closed on the sale of Coggins Farm on June 22, 2015. The subdivision has renamed itself Sovereign Oaks. It became apparent through our research and development that famers and land owners who are reaching retirement age in this region have very few options when needing to transition ownership of their land. Often fertile land and open space falls into the hands of a developer because they can deliver with retirement funds.

The CCP remains committed to being a resource and information center for farmland and open space protection in WNC. We’re also exploring the concept, New Ruralism, and how it can benefit our community and the surrounding Asheville area as it continues to grow in population.

“New Ruralism is a framework for creating a bridge between Sustainable Agriculture and New Urbanism. Sustainable agriculture can help bring cities down to earth, to a deeper commitment to the ecology and economy of the surrounding countryside on which they depend. New Ruralism embraces the power of place-making that can help American agriculture move from an artificially narrow production focus to encompass broader resource preservation values.” -Sibella Kraus

The Coggins Conservation Project hopes to work with developers, land owners, and retiring farmers in identifying viable business plans, programming, and financial structures for available land and continue to promote New Ruralism in Western North Carolina.

Background

The Coggins Conservation Project was inspired by Coggins Farm™, a 169 acre tract of land 7 miles from downtown Asheville, which became slated for residential and commercial development in 2013. Concerned citizens across the area worked together to acquire the contract and change the future for Coggins Farm™ and land around Western North Carolina.

The Coggins Farm™ has been in the same family since the founding of Buncombe County. Kept largely undeveloped and bordering the forests of Warren Wilson College, it features a mix of pastures, long stretches of Bull Creek, fertile bottom lands, and mature woods that provide a home to a plethora of native medicinal plants and wildlife.

Henry Allen Coggins, who owned the land in the early part of the 20th Century, was one of the founders of the Farmers Federation in 1920. His son, George, hosted the first of the current generation of tailgate farmers markets in 1980. Over the past twenty-five years, the Coggins Farm™ has been an incubator for several of our area’s current crop of successful organic growers.

The conservation initiative of the Coggins Conservation Project (CCP) was to work with the developer to preserve a generous portion of Coggins Farm™ in an agricultural conservation easement. This initiative was proposed as an effort to maintain a scenic natural viewshed, keep intact a valuable ecosystem, and connect the greater Asheville community with local, sustainable farm production and education.

After two years of being under option to purchase, the developer officially closed the sale of the Coggins Farm property on June 22, 2015 and renamed the proposed 99-lot subdivision for the land, Sovereign Oaks.

Who We Are

The Coggins Conservation Project (CCP) is a community organization dedicated to protecting open space and farmland in Western North Carolina. Our focus is on enriching the community and sustaining our local food systems via implementing viable models on available land. We have created an alternative transition model for large tracts of land on the outskirts of our cities whose owners are reaching retirement age and needing to sell their land. This model was originally created for Coggins Farm and focuses on:

Small footprint, permaculture-style residential communities.

Protecting most of the land from development

Serving the community through the creation of an innovative agricultural hub that promotes sustainability and education.

We believe that our community has the strength and creativity to come together and support innovative plans for growth around our city, one that protects local food production and pristine open space in our region. The Coggins Conservation Project is a platform for community members to join us in this effort.

Coggins Farm

The Coggins Conservation Project: Preserving Asheville’s Farms and Rural Communities. If you’re in support of preserving openspace and farmland in this region, check out the conservation plan that was inspired by the historic Coggins Farm™.